The quota reform movement continued through a series of marches, rallies and road blockades. However, on 15 July there was a major attack on protesters. That day, leaders and workers of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) attacked protesters at Dhaka University and several other universities using hockey sticks, iron rods, GI pipes and other improvised weapons, injuring several protesters.
These attacks sparked anti-discrimination student movements in educational institutions across the country. At the same time, attacks by various state agencies and organizations linked to the then ruling party also increased.
Against this backdrop, the first deaths linked to the quota reform movement occurred on 16 July, when six people were killed in Chattogram, Dhaka and Rangpur.
The footage of the death of Abu Saeed, a student of the English Department of Begum Rokeya University, due to police firing spread rapidly on social media.
The video shows him standing in the middle of the road with both hands outstretched as police fired several rounds at his chest. This incident profoundly changed the direction of the movement and led to widespread public anger throughout the country.